Dead Highways: Origins Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Richard Brown
Nevada, including Las Vegas, where no one was permitted to leave the city. On the internet, the conspiracy buffs were going mad. There was a lot of talk of biological warfare. Chemical and nuclear weapons testing also made the rounds among the tin foil hat crowd. Some were convinced it was the work of Islamic terrorists; others said it was the communists, or the capitalists, or God punishing us for our sins. There was even talk of aliens. It’s always the aliens.
The outbreak was in Nevada, home to Area 51. Maybe the little green spacemen had something to do with it.
March 13, 2012.
First reports of illness, most in Nevada, a few in California and Arizona. People becoming lethargic, falling into sudden comas. Scary stuff. If there was still a containment zone, it wasn’t being talked about. The thing had obviously long broken free and was loose in the wild frontier.
That night the president interrupted the regular scheduled programming to deliver a live televised address to the nation regarding the outbreak. This was the first time the government admitted there was a serious problem. Still, the president reassured everyone they had it under control. No need to panic. Go about your daily lives.
And may God bless America.
March 14, 2012.
Officer Robinson hadn’t called or visited the store in a few days. I wondered if he was glued to the TV like me. I wondered where the hell Moses could have gone. I thought about Peaches. Strangely, I missed her. I felt more alone, afraid to leave the store.
I finally told grandma about the news reports that had been coming in on a semi-regular basis. She seemed less worried than me.
March 15, 2012.
Tens of thousands of people were now believed to be sick with the virus. Falling asleep on the job had become a widespread epidemic, sweeping across the west coast and as far east as Mississippi. Overhead shots of cars idling on highways, passengers inside them, sleeping. The Las Vegas strip was littered with bodies lying motionless on the ground, while high above the flashy casino signs continued to flicker with color and life. Airports and other transportation services were forced to shut down after a number of planes fell out of the sky, some on top of residential neighborhoods. Hospitals, police stations, and other public places were overrun with concerned citizens. And church had become popular again.
I decided I wasn’t going to leave the store until this thing worked itself out.
March 16, 2012.
Second national televised address by the president. The fake-looking background immediately gave it away that he was no longer in the White House. He said to avoid travel if possible. He said not to be alarmed. He said that the CDC was close to having a vaccine. He said that because we are Americans we could get through anything. He said nothing of the most recent reports that over fifty percent of the residents of Nevada, California, and Arizona had become infected.
Fallen into a deep slumber.
March 17, 2012.
First reports of the virus crossing national borders. Canada. Mexico. China. Australia. Japan. Great Britain. France. Germany. Brazil. Any country popular with businessmen or tourists began to experience the virus firsthand; thus all flights out of North America, South America, Europe, and much of Asia were suspended indefinitely. On the home front, the virus had made its way to all fifty states, including Alaska and Hawaii. There were massive power outages. Protests turned into violent riots on the street. Looters had their way with defenseless businesses. From coast to coast, cities burned as unrest among those not infected grew out of control. Systematic bombings of entire regions became a common occurrence, as the last remnants of the government and its reduced military tried any and all methods to slow the inevitable death of civilization.
Unsuccessfully.
March 18, 2012.
I woke early, and as I had for almost an entire week, I turned on the TV to
The outbreak was in Nevada, home to Area 51. Maybe the little green spacemen had something to do with it.
March 13, 2012.
First reports of illness, most in Nevada, a few in California and Arizona. People becoming lethargic, falling into sudden comas. Scary stuff. If there was still a containment zone, it wasn’t being talked about. The thing had obviously long broken free and was loose in the wild frontier.
That night the president interrupted the regular scheduled programming to deliver a live televised address to the nation regarding the outbreak. This was the first time the government admitted there was a serious problem. Still, the president reassured everyone they had it under control. No need to panic. Go about your daily lives.
And may God bless America.
March 14, 2012.
Officer Robinson hadn’t called or visited the store in a few days. I wondered if he was glued to the TV like me. I wondered where the hell Moses could have gone. I thought about Peaches. Strangely, I missed her. I felt more alone, afraid to leave the store.
I finally told grandma about the news reports that had been coming in on a semi-regular basis. She seemed less worried than me.
March 15, 2012.
Tens of thousands of people were now believed to be sick with the virus. Falling asleep on the job had become a widespread epidemic, sweeping across the west coast and as far east as Mississippi. Overhead shots of cars idling on highways, passengers inside them, sleeping. The Las Vegas strip was littered with bodies lying motionless on the ground, while high above the flashy casino signs continued to flicker with color and life. Airports and other transportation services were forced to shut down after a number of planes fell out of the sky, some on top of residential neighborhoods. Hospitals, police stations, and other public places were overrun with concerned citizens. And church had become popular again.
I decided I wasn’t going to leave the store until this thing worked itself out.
March 16, 2012.
Second national televised address by the president. The fake-looking background immediately gave it away that he was no longer in the White House. He said to avoid travel if possible. He said not to be alarmed. He said that the CDC was close to having a vaccine. He said that because we are Americans we could get through anything. He said nothing of the most recent reports that over fifty percent of the residents of Nevada, California, and Arizona had become infected.
Fallen into a deep slumber.
March 17, 2012.
First reports of the virus crossing national borders. Canada. Mexico. China. Australia. Japan. Great Britain. France. Germany. Brazil. Any country popular with businessmen or tourists began to experience the virus firsthand; thus all flights out of North America, South America, Europe, and much of Asia were suspended indefinitely. On the home front, the virus had made its way to all fifty states, including Alaska and Hawaii. There were massive power outages. Protests turned into violent riots on the street. Looters had their way with defenseless businesses. From coast to coast, cities burned as unrest among those not infected grew out of control. Systematic bombings of entire regions became a common occurrence, as the last remnants of the government and its reduced military tried any and all methods to slow the inevitable death of civilization.
Unsuccessfully.
March 18, 2012.
I woke early, and as I had for almost an entire week, I turned on the TV to
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